“When things go too well, that’s usually when the excrement bucket spills over.” - Old mercenary saying.

Council Chamber

Free City of Levain, Levain City

Central Alcidea

7th Day of the 3rd Week of the 11th Month, Year 18 FP.

“So how fares the news from the frontlines, Temporary Chairman Adenauer?” asked a grizzled old dwarf who was one of the most respected blacksmiths in Levain, as well as a fellow member of the city’s council chamber. He was also one of the councilors Reinhardt was most familiar with, as the old dwarf had quickly bonded with his adoptive father as fellow expert blacksmiths.

When the then newly instated Chairwoman Estelle brought the proposal to not only support, but to directly participate in the Caromans’ planned counteroffensive on the Southern Coalition, the council had been strongly divided. The military faction was strongly for the proposal, while the civilian councilors were worried.

Levain had maintained a strictly defensive policy since its founding, in the hopes that its neutrality in the ongoing civil war around them would spare them the worst of the suffering.

In the end, however, Estelle argued that as they had made the first attack against them, the Southern Coalition had clearly not cared about their neutrality. As such, she argued that merely remaining on the defensive would make their other neighbors think of them as cowards, punching bags to be tormented without consequences. She stated that without any show of might that might serve as a deterrence, it wouldn’t be too long before one or more of their neighbors once more turned greedy eyes towards Levain.

Her argument carried the proposal which gained majority assent, which led to the current ongoing campaign. Even so, some of the civilian councilors still felt some worry about it. It was a worry Reinhardt could understand. After all, people who mostly stayed away and avoided war all their life would naturally worry about participating actively in one.

“As of yesterday night,” said Bernd Adenauer from his seat at the highest position in the council chamber as he had been appointed Chairman in Estelle’s absence, “reports indicated light, scattered resistance. The Southern Coalition seemed to already be in the process of breaking up before we entered the fray, so we merely placed the last nails in the coffin,” he stated.

“From the Caroman side, they mentioned that most of the resistance they faced were scattered groups of loyalist soldiers, typically led by the city lords. Our soldiers have reported the same, and added that sometimes the populace of the cities in question had already risen up in arms against their lords, so on a couple occasions we didn’t even have to fight anyone at all.”

“This sounds too bloody easy,” muttered the old dwarf, to the agreement of a few other civilian councilors. “Have we ascertained whether they are truly breaking apart or if this is some sort of ploy to lure us in?”

“Your doubts have crossed the mind of Chairwoman Estelle as well, esteemed Councilman Krueger,” replied Bernd with an understanding nod. “So far, every sign pointed out to a rift between the first-class citizens of the Southern Coalition and those labeled as second or third class citizens. The local lords are typically on the side of the High Lords and their first-class people, but the populace in general aren’t.”

“The second and third class citizens knew that their lords only viewed them as cannon fodder. Little surprise they behaved this way, honestly,” noted Reinhardt from his seat. He had been given special permission to join the council meetings for the duration of the war, since many of the military councilors had left with the expedition and the council had learned to value his opinions.

“So in your opinion, we should be able to win this fight without many issues, Captain Edelstein?” asked the old dwarf as he turned to regard Reinhardt. Due to the old man’s friendship with Hogarth, he had quickly warmed up to the rest of the mercenaries as well, and was one of the most cordial amongst the council members, other than the ones who were firmly for the mercenaries’ presence like Estelle’s faction.

“That hinges on the assumption that no complications take place in the near future, but I would say so,” answered Reinhardt honestly. “Even if the so-called First or High or whatever Lords the Coalition have gathered all the loyal soldiers they have, they would still be outnumbered by quite a bit, now that they lost a large chunk of their territory and with more areas rising up in revolt.”

“So in your opinion, what sort of circumstances would we need to watch out for, Captain?” asked the old dwarf once more. The military councilors present were happy to defer to Reinhardt despite their position. They had come to respect the experience that the mercenaries possessed and acknowledged that they themselves lacked that experience.

“Outside influence,” stated Reinhardt simply. “The biggest potential problem would be if our neighbors to the east and north saw our offensive and instead of being deterred, considered us a threat that they could still nip in the bud. If that was the case, in the worst-case scenario they might cooperate with the Southern Coalition and motivate them to delay our army down south while they launched offensives against us, probably together.”

“That is a worrisome scenario indeed,” admitted Bernd Adenauer with a nod of his head. “In that case, Captain Edelstein, what would we do should such a scenario come to pass? Hypothetically, of course. I am certain none of the councilors in the room wish for such a troublesome situation to happen for real.”

“Well, we would need to evacuate the people who lived outside the cities into the cities themselves, for their safety,” noted Reinhardt. “Safest would be for them to head to Levain itself, or Fort Aldenstadt for those closer to the east. People in the south should be safer overall due to their proximity to our army, as for the enemies? Let them come.”

“The second batch of militia might only be halfway through their training, but between their numbers and Levain’s fabled walls, I have confidence that the Free City could take on all comers and make them regret their audacity to attack us.”